Jody Perot discovered she had Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) when her teenage daughter was diagnosed three years ago.
“I never thought that my perfectly behaved daughter A-plus could ever have ADHD. For me, it was a behavioral disorder, “Perot recalls.
“I was amazed to learn that she had it, and even more so to learn that I was the one who gave it to her.”
According to the Center for ADHD Awareness Canada, the disorder affects five to nine percent of children and three to five percent of adults and is considered highly inherited.
Now Perot, who works with ADHD Edmonton, a nonprofit that provides resources and support to a growing community of Alberts with the disorder, wants to help others.
Change in thinking
ADHD Edmonton was launched in 2009 after founder Rachel Rodgers was diagnosed in her 50s and did not open a community support network.
“I worked as a teacher, a school counselor for many years,” Rodgers said. “I thought I knew a lot. After the diagnosis, I realized I knew very little.”
The local organization offers support groups, professional advisors and resources.
“There’s an incredible need,” Rodgers said.
Radio Active6: 45ADHD has a moment on social media
What we need to know and how to talk about ADHD. 6:45
Justin Lesard, a counselor who specializes in ADHD and co-founded the 9th Circle Therapy in Edmonton, told CBC’s Radio Active that conversations about the disorder are shifting.
“It’s a very complex disorder and it’s becoming clearer with people on TikTok and Instagram sharing their experiences. There is a kind of resurgence of adults with ADHD and others [people] has ADHD than we originally suspected. “
“We are not a monolith”
“There’s a story in our Western culture about what ADHD is and what it looks like,” Lesard said.
The usual picture is often of a young boy with an excess of energy who can’t concentrate. But for young girls, ADHD can mean splitting the area, which is harder to capture in the classroom.
This is one of the answers to why women are often diagnosed later in life.
“We present differently. We internalize more. We have more depression, more anxiety,” Perot said. “We are not a monolith.”
There are three types of ADHD: inattentive / distracting, impulsive / hyperactive, and a combination of both.
Lesard began his own research into the disorder during graduate school when his wife’s ADHD was first recognized.
“We both learned about her diagnosis together, and then I clinically said to myself that it was much bigger and more common than many people think,” he said.
Lesard believes that some people can be treated for other mental health challenges, while the root is neurodivergence.
“People are fine, it’s just a concern. It’s a depressive disorder, “he said. Sometimes “anxiety and depression are smoke and ADHD is fire.”
Creating a community for change
To get his diagnosis, Perot paid about $ 3,000 for a test. She spends about $ 150 a month on medication, in addition to what her insurance covers.
“I firmly believe that we should not pay for our own diagnosis,” she said. “We have a neurological disease that needs treatment and we need better access to it.”
ADHD Edmonton recently added an adult support group to its list. In its first two sessions, this was the organization’s most attended meeting.
Perot, who led the group, said it was a great time for many present.
“You spend your life trying to pretend to be normal. And then all of a sudden you’re in a room with 20 other people who are just like you, weird in the same way that you’re weird, struggling with things you’re struggling with, “she said.
“You feel like you belong, and that’s such a relief.”
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